Famous NRL nursery producing some of NSW’s best rugby teens for Waratahs academy

A school renowned for producing an assembly line of talent to the NRL has now delivered a quartet of young guns to the NSW Waratahs U16s for a crucial task this year.

Levi Ellis at a rugby selection event at Campbelltown last month. Picture: Warren Gannon Photography

A rugby league school which has churned out countless players to the NRL over the years and to the tune of 31 players in the current competition, now has four of its talented students in the Waratahs U16s squad being aimed at a Super Rugby defence.

Patrician Brothers Blacktown, which has a specialist rugby league development program, is the alma mater of current and former NRL players including Jarome Luai, Stephen Crichton, Bryce Cartwright, Andrew and David Fifita, Spencer Leniu, Josh Aloiai, Jamie Buhrer, Tyrell Fuimaono, Sione Katoa, Matthew Lodge and Jake Arthur.

Now it has four players from its campus and another from Patrician Brothers Fairfield in the Waratahs rugby squad out to defend their title in the Super Rugby U16s competition later this year.

St Joseph’s College, Hunters Hill, a well known rugby school, is the most prominent pipeline with five players selected in Thomas Chan, Julian Minto, Noah Chrara, Finn Hannon, and Eduardo Garcia Wood.

But Patrician Brothers Blacktown has contributed four players in Talmage Lemusu, Charlie Xuereb, Ziyon Lepolo, and Cordell Arama while Patrician Brothers Fairlfield has Noah Vaotangi, who recently captained Country at the annual City v Country showdown in Newcastle.

A notable connection is the link between the Blacktown Scorpions junior club and Patrician Brothers Blacktown with Lemusu, Lepolo and Arama associated with both.

Payton Tarau at school rugby trials last month. Picture: Julian Andrews.

In total the Blacktown Scorpions have six players in the squad with Kaiasi Talakai, Levi Ellis and Payton Tarau also named.

Multiple schools have two players each in Waverley College (Kaiasi Talakai, Payton Tarau), Barker College (Izak Holmes, Jayden Richards), St Augustine’s College (Wilson Ruthven, Tom Longland), and Knox Grammar School (William Gleeson, Archie Hill).

The Waratahs cast the net far and wide for the squad charged with defending the U16 Super Rugby crown with country tough guys, players from private, public and independent schools and teens not even on the radar a year ago making the 30 man squad

Finn Hannon playing for the U14 Gen Blues. Picture: John Appleyard

Ziyon Lepolo at the last Pasifiika Cup. Picture: John Appleyard

In one of the biggest mixes seen in recent years, players from the GPS and schools system have been selected alongside young guns from country towns and regional areas like Coffs Harbour, with Kiama rugby, the Canowindra Pythons, Scone Brumbies, and Campbelltown Harlequins also represented along with players from the Central Coast, northern beaches, Sydney’s west, the Hunter and Illawarra.

Multiple schools have two players each in Waverley College (Kaiasi Talakai, Payton Tarau), Barker College (Izak Holmes, Jayden Richards), St Augustine’s College (Wilson Ruthven, Tom Longland), and Knox Grammar School (William Gleeson, Archie Hill).

Lindfield Junior Rugby Club has three players in Thomas Chan, Will Gencur, and Ruari Basten.

The are also multiple clubs with two players from their fold in the Mosman Whales (Julian Minto, Finn Hannon), Newport Rugby Club (Izak Holmes, Jayden Richards), Collaroy Cougars (Wilson Ruthven, Tom Longland), Dee Why Lions (Archie Hill, Marlee Thomas), and Norths Pirates (Henry Baxter, Eduardo Garcia Wood).

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